Any thoughts about increasing Minimum Wage?

by journey-on 49 Replies latest jw friends

• 

  5go

  This illustrates my whole point--even though we just raised it, the same people are trying to get it raised again.

  Because 7 dollars isn't livable.

  The minimum wage is supposed to keep people who full time work above the poverty line.

  Another thing that the minimum wage helped is in the area of hours by keeping them down to a healthy level. In the past if you got a job you could be worked 100 hours a week and still not make a livable salary and then die early do to health problem from working to much. Assuming you didn't have an accident in which an employer would sometimes force expenses related to it on the dead worker's family.

  These are the great deregulated economic and capitalist values you on right would love to bring back to the detriment of the nation.
• 

  hillary_step

  What Funky Derek said, only twice as loud.

  HS
• 

  sammielee24

  I think the minimum wage should be abolished in favour of a living wage - whatever it costs to be able to feed/clothe and shelter yourself. The purpose of work is to be able to survive - in a society where variables make up that cost of living, then it would fluctuate as need be. A minimum wage was enacted to stop employers using cheap, basically slave labour or servitude - pay the people something and we can exchange the definition from servitude to employment. The problem however becomes compounded when a job that pays a worker $5.00 an hour or a net of $695.00 a month does not meet the needs of survival - sharing a small rental apartment with another roommate would eat that up a month. This means that the government most likely has to chip in for food/transportation and housing costs or the working person can't survive. If we take that figure up to even $7.50 an hour, it most likely is never going to work.

  This problem has basically been addressed this past year in the SCHIP plan for kids. In New York it costs about $50,000 to live in a family of 4 and get by - in other States it is less. New York wanted the set guidelines changed to accomodate the cost of living in real terms in that State so that coverage would meet the needs of more kids within the low range. This was not an option according to the administration therefore, there is no way that they will ever abolish the minimum wage in favour of a living wage.

  The minimum wage is never going to be a real issue at this point so I wouldn't even worry about it. sammieswife.
• 

  journey-on

  In New York it costs about $50,000 to live in a family of 4 and get by

  Thanks for this information. That comes to a little over $24.00 per hour (based on a 40-hr. wk.) to make what you called "a living wage"....
• 

  Fisherman

  Raise the minimum wage to any amount that you like, dont cry when mild costs 50.00 per quart, bread 20.0 per loaf. a new car, 100,000.00. REnt 5,000 per month.

  If the cost of labore goes up, then the cost of living will go up even higher. Others wil hire illegal aliens oor have labor doen over seas.

  Those of you making minimum wage, why dont you learn some skill or get more education?
• 

  sammielee24

  Thanks for this information. That comes to a little over $24.00 per hour (based on a 40-hr. wk.) to make what you called "a living wage"....

  That was the figure for New York - it varies State to State because the cost of living is so different everywhere. This figure was the basis on which Bush said NO to the increased SCHIP proposal - that figure is too high and it would push the middle class into using a free government program. Funny thing was that when it came to a tax increase for anyone making over $200,000.00 a year - that same Bush said NO because it would affect the middle class.

  Now - that confused me. He says $50,000 is too rich and is middle class therefore you should pay your taxes and not be allowed any help. Then he says $200,000. is the middle class and they shouldn't have to pay more taxes or it will hurt them.

  Go figure.

  sammieswife.
• 

  journey-on

  Sorry....IMO, Bush makes sense on this one.

  Let's look for a better solution.

  Fisherman:

  Those of you making minimum wage, why dont you learn some skill or get more education?

  Don't you know it's politically incorrect to say this out loud?!! Now you've opened a can of worms. Brace yourself.
• 

  oompa

  I just do not know of any company paying minimum wage now...........so let the market control it................oompa
• 

  Billy the Ex-Bethelite

  I won't try to expand the question. I think we can all agree that corporate CEOs are paid way too much. Yes, minimum wage isn't enough to support a family. But, I think a high minimum wage makes kids around here unemployable. They don't need to support the family, so why should they make the same minimum wage as a 40 y.o. with 3 kids?

  Simply looking at my situation, I want to hire a few part-time high school kids. I have had dozens come in and apply. But as it is, I can't justify hiring them straight away at $8. Neither are most of the other potential employers in town able to hire inexperienced kids at $8. It becomes expensive and time consuming to overpay, train, and motivate them. So, now we have a bunch of unemployed teens in town, making no spending money to learn how to work, and budget, and their parents need to bring home more money to support them.

  Before you think I'm a rich, tight-fisted, idiot, I'm still in debt for the initial investments in the business. I work a ton of hours. My employees (all part-time) that have been with me very long are over $8. I have other skills, but since I was in Bethel, you can't really list that experience on an application since you have no work or income references. I have no college degree since I was raised JW. And I couldn't get just any job because of missing meetings, neutrality, holidays, etc. Despite what the bOrg says, Jehober doesn't miraculously bless his people with great jobs. What a lie they feed the sheeples. So, I found myself unemployed in an area of low opportunities. But my business is doing well, and more importantly I'm learning the truth about "the Truth". Mostly I'll stick to WT topics here on the forum, but this one caught my attention.

  Back to the question, why would there need to be more US or state legislation to increase minimum wage? How about mandating that US imports are made with fairly paid foreign workers? What about the illegal immigrants that are paid below minimum tax-free throughout the US?
• 

  BurnTheShips

  10-12 too high

  8-9 is about right to keep you up with cost of living. Though it's increase needs to be set to inflation.

  But what if the economic value of what a person produces is only 5 or 6 dollars an hour?